Current:Home > StocksMissouri Supreme Court declines to halt execution of a man who killed 2 in 2006-InfoLens
Missouri Supreme Court declines to halt execution of a man who killed 2 in 2006
View Date:2024-12-23 14:13:00
The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt the execution of Brian Dorsey, who is scheduled to die next month for killing his cousin and her husband 18 years ago.
Judge W. Brent Powell wrote in the unanimous decision that Dorsey “has not demonstrated he is actually innocent” of the killing. Powell also wrote that the state Supreme Court previously turned aside Dorsey’s claim that his trial lawyer was ineffective, and he is barred from raising that claim again.
It was unclear if Dorsey would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. A message was left Wednesday with his attorney, Megan Crane.
Dorsey is scheduled to die by injection at 6 p.m. April 9 at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It would be Missouri’s first execution in 2024 after four people were put to death last year. Another Missouri inmate, David Hosier, faces execution June 11 for killing a Jefferson City woman in 2009.
Dorsey, who turns 52 on Thursday, was convicted of fatally shooting Sarah and Ben Bonnie on Dec. 23, 2006, at their home near New Bloomfield. Prosecutors said that earlier that day, Dorsey had called Sarah Bonnie seeking to borrow money to pay two drug dealers who were at his apartment.
Sarah Bonnie’s parents found the bodies the next day. The couple’s 4-year-old daughter was unhurt.
In his appeal, Dorsey alleged that he was incapable of premeditation at the time of the killings because of drug-induced psychosis. The appeal said Dorsey had not slept for more than three days, had been drinking and was withdrawing from crack cocaine usage, causing him to experience hallucinations and paranoid delusions.
But Powell wrote that attorneys for the state cited “significant evidence” of premeditation.
Dorsey pleaded guilty in 2008 but later claimed he should have instead been sentenced to life in prison without parole. The Missouri Supreme Court first upheld the death sentence in 2010 and again in 2014.
veryGood! (75784)
Related
- Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
- Amazon workers in Alabama will have third labor union vote after judge finds illegal influence
- USDA sets rule prohibiting processing fees on school lunches for low-income families
- Panthers to start QB Bryce Young Week 10: Former No. 1 pick not traded at the deadline
- Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
- Hope is not a plan. Florida decides to keep football coach Billy Napier despite poor results
- Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown Marks Rare Celebration After Kody Brown Split
- A Texas border county backed Democrats for generations. Trump won it decisively
- Olivia Munn began randomly drug testing John Mulaney during her first pregnancy
- Interpreting the Investment Wisdom and Business Journey of Damon Quisenberry
Ranking
- Joey Logano wins Phoenix finale for 3rd NASCAR Cup championship in 1-2 finish for Team Penske
- SEC tiebreaker chaos scenario: Potential seven-team logjam atop standings
- Ten of thousands left without power as winter storm rolls over New Mexico
- Roland Quisenberry: A Token-Driven Era for Fintech
- UConn, Kansas State among five women's college basketball games to watch this weekend
- West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice appoints wife Cathy to state education board after U.S. Senate win
- Republican David McCormick flips pivotal Pennsylvania Senate seat, ousts Bob Casey
- Outer Banks Just Killed Off a Major Character During Intense Season 4 Finale
Recommendation
-
Appeals Court Affirms Conviction of Everglades Scientist Accused of Stealing ‘Trade Secrets’
-
Why Fans Think Cardi B May Have Revealed the Name of Her Third Baby With Offset
-
Investigators: Kentucky officers wounded by suspect fatally shot him after altercation
-
From Innovation to Ascendancy: Roland Quisenberry and WH Alliance Propel the Future of Finance
-
Taylor Swift touches down in Kansas City as Chiefs take on Denver Broncos
-
Mississippi man dies after being 'buried under hot asphalt' while repairing dump truck
-
Bachelor's Kelsey Anderson Addresses Joey Graziadei Relationship Status Amid Personal Issues
-
In Portland, Oregon, political outsider Keith Wilson elected mayor after homelessness-focused race